For the past 20 years, longevity physicians have been prescribing “bio-identical” hormone replacement therapy in an attempt to delay the effects of biological aging. Every aspect of our bodies degenerates as we get older. When this degeneration occurs in our critical endocrine organs, our hormone levels diminish. A decrease in the production of hormones begins in middle age and continues into our elder years. As our hormone levels decline, so do we, both physically and mentally. There is, however, a way to combat this decline.

Returning deficient hormones – thyroid, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, and growth hormone – to the levels that we had in our youth has been touted by anti-aging physicians as beneficial to both our health and quality of life. Hormone replacement therapy can strengthen our bodies and bolsters our minds, and transform the precipitous decline of hormone levels that begins in middle age into a more gradual process with less noticeable effects.

Relatively few studies have evaluated the effects of hormone replacement in healthy adults for the purpose of anti-aging, let alone the simultaneous restoration of all hormones to youthful levels.

There have been six-month studies revealing improvements from growth hormone alone. Dr. Daniel Rudman reported an 8.8 percent increase in lean body mass, a 14.4 percent decrease in adipose mass, a 1.6 percent increase in lumbar vertebral bone density, and a 7.1 percent increase in skin thickness in 12 healthy elderly men who initially had low growth hormone levels. Likewise, there have been six-month studies in which sex hormones were combined with growth hormones, resulting in decreased fat mass and increased lean body mass. Other studies have revealed the benefits of replenishing thyroid hormones in patients with normal thyroid hormone levels. There have been relatively few studies on estrogen and progesterone replacement in menopausal women; however, the studies involving “bio-identical” hormones (that is, hormones that are exact replicas of those produced by the human body) have demonstrated benefits while studies involving the synthetic Prempro® have raised concerns that its risks may outweigh its benefits.

Logically, since all of the body’s hormones were meant to work in synergy, the optimal results would be expected when all of the hormone levels are replenished

A review of the anti-aging effects of each hormone, clearly demonstrated in scientific literature, should help you to understand why all hormones should be restored to optimal levels. Theoretically, as hormone levels drop, they perform their essential biologic functions less effectively. When the hormones are restored to their youthful levels, their ability to perform their functions will likewise be restored.